TORONTO, June 18 /CNW Telbec/ - Standard Life will announce during Standard Life's Big Search event being held at the Westin Prince Toronto hotel today, that it has raised $355,000 in total to date in 2010 in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada's campaign to address the worrisome shortage of youth mentors.

About 150 of Standard Life's employees and business partners have come together for this recreational geocaching activity. Standard Life's Big Search was established by financial services company Standard Life as a platform to raise funds and assist Big Brothers Big Sisters fulfill and increase awareness about the urgent need for new youth mentor volunteers. The organization currently offers mentoring services to more than 27,000 children and teenagers, and estimates that another 10,000 could benefit from a role model in their lives today.

Jennifer Atwell, a former Little Sister, says: "Having a Big Sister had a significant impact in that the experience helped me become a better and more rounded person. Sally, my mentor, introduced me to things like the arts and exotic foods, expanding my horizons. I think that the greatest contribution of mentorship is the sense of caring that mentors instil in kids and teenagers, contributing to their confidence and letting them learn through experience that the world is full of good people who care about them and they can trust."

This is the second year that Standard Life's Big Search events run in Toronto and Montréal. Thanks to Standard Life's fundraising drive, Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies throughout Canada received applications from more than 350 potential new mentors in 2009, and their objective is to add at least another 600 new applications in 2010.

Bruce McDonald, President and Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, says: "We are truly grateful for the support Big Brother Big Sisters has been receiving from Standard Life, its staff and partners. Their commitment goes far and beyond the call of duty."

Joseph Iannicelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Life, adds: "Standard Life has a longstanding legacy in Canada and it is our responsibility as a corporate citizen and as individuals to help our future generations prosper, leaving no one behind. Standard Life takes great pride in its partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters and we will continue to support their efforts to eliminate the critical shortage of mentors who play such a worthy role in the lives of young Canadians."

About Standard Life

Standard Life is a long-term savings and investments group headquartered in Scotland, which has been doing business in Canada for over 175 years. Standard Life provides retirement, investment and insurance solutions. With over 2,000 employees based in Montréal and in offices across Canada, it serves more than 1.3 million Canadians, including group insurance and retirement plan members. Its Canadian division is Standard Life's largest operation outside the U.K.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada is the largest youth mentoring organization in the country, offering quality mentoring services from adults to more than 27,000 children and teenagers. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada presently has 19,500 volunteer mentors working with 135 agencies to help young people in over 1,000 communities. For more information: http://www.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/.

Note to the editors: Photos and video footage from the event will be available later today.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/